


Savoring the Moment

by MysteriousBridge



Category: Life of the Party D&D (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Spoilers, by request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:21:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23338306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteriousBridge/pseuds/MysteriousBridge
Summary: Inspired by a request from Chase in the Life of the Party Discord.  :DI apologize for nothing.
Relationships: Cassian/Renard (Life of the Party)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	Savoring the Moment

Repressing an undignified sigh of disappointment, Cassian shouldered open the carved wooden door of the guest room, the opulent furnishings and trimmings seeming dull now, uninteresting. The soft thunder of a hundred feet mingled with the strains of music and snatches of conversation were silenced as the heavy door fell in place behind him. The only sounds were his breathing and the soft jingle of the many fine gold chains adoring his complicated masquerade finery.

In his minds' eye, the night's events flashed by – gently dancing with Sariel, whispering calming words to her; pride in his chest as Astra was encouraged/bullied onto the stage, the crowds cheering for his music; the thread of – anger? panic? - in Vanden's voice as he drew back from Cassian's proffered hand with his usual chorus of "Don't touch me" ringing in the air. Cassian swore under his breath at the thought; the one time, the _one time_ that he wasn't being antagonistic – had actually _wanted_ to dance with the insufferable man, and he'd not only been rejected but rejected _publicly_. The indignance of it stung him, and though he'd graciously excused himself from the situation, alone he swore and lashed out, kicking over a small richly upholstered footstool and sending it spinning into the nearest wall.

"…Cassian?"

Whirling around, a spell sparked at his fingertips as he turned to blast the intruder. A man in the doorway, bronze mask hiding hi-

_Bronze mask._

Cassian blinked, the magic dissipating from his fingertips as his own mask of placid calm instantly spread over his face. The footstool slamming into the wardrobe must have covered the knocking, and Vanden now stood in his doorway like some sentinel. He swallowed an unknown feeling in his throat and kept his expression still. 

"Can I help you?"

Vanden's nostrils flared, the smallest display of annoyance, and Cassian felt a small, satisfied smile creeping at the edge of his mouth. Baiting the man had always managed to cheer him up.

The redhead stood in the doorway, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. Cassian waited, crossing his arms and drumming his fingers against the flesh of his upper arms. Finally, Vanden sharply raised his chin, a tight set to his jaw. 

"I- I wanted to talk to you. About earlier. Can – May I come in?" Cassian raised a delicate eyebrow and nodded once, the gnawing feeling slowly beginning to build again. Vanden slipped into the room and let the door snick shut behind him, the sudden silence heavy around them. Inhaling slowly, Vanden clasped his hands in front of himself as though subconsciously praying for strength before continuing. 

"Right, first thing's first… I wanted to apologize for my behavior downstairs. I was… rude. Incredibly rude, and I'm sorry." Cassian surreptitiously pinched his arm, the pain confirming that he was not, in fact, dreaming. "You _know_ I don't like being touched, and you're usually a bothersome arse about it, but I know that's not what you were trying to do."

Cassian breathed in, slowly, evenly, despite the sudden uptick in the pace of his heartbeat. "Oh? And what is it that you think I was trying to do, then, that you had to act mortally offended?"

Vanden laughed wryly, shaking his head. "Well, it seemed like you were trying to ask me to dance, and I reacted like an idiot." Cassian rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to spit out a retort-

"You just stunned me."

The words dissolved on his tongue as he stared at Vanden, a flush visible underneath the edge of the prince's mask. This frustrating, stubborn man…

Vanden took a step further into the room, closing some of the distance between them. One hand reached up to rake through the unbound ginger hair, Cassian's eyes tracking the shift of muscle under fabric. "I don't need to tell you how you look, Cassian. I am more than sure that you're fully aware of that." Another step, an arm's length away. A moment passed, then Vanden spoke again, his voice a low rumble in his chest.

"But tonight, you are an absolute vision. A work of art, honestly - exquisite and beautiful. Such exquisite beauty should be admired properly, don't you agree?"

A feline smile spread across Cassian's face, and he uncrossed his arms to slowly spread them apart, the chains and fabric hissing satisfyingly as he shifted. Whatever game Vanden was playing, he'd play right back, and win. "Oh, I agree." He slowly turned in place, fixing the dark eyeholes of Vanden's mask with a smirk. "Sadly, that's all you can see without touching, and you don't like to be touched, so…" Cassian shrugged, but as he lowered his arms one wrist was suddenly clasped in Vanden's gloved hand. Cassian watched Vanden's face, looking for some sign of what the man was thinking.

"I said _I_ don't like to be touched. I never said I don't like touching." His thumb began running slowly, back and forth, over the speeding pulse in Cassian's wrist. Vanden tugged him gently forward and slid his grasp from wrist to fingertips, bringing Cassian's knuckles to ghost at his lips. "May I?"

Cassian felt something tug at his insides as he felt the soft press of a kiss to his knuckles, his head nodding before he could think of anything to say. "Please, be my guest," and because he couldn't resist, softly, _"my liege."_

A soft huff of laughter washed over his fingers still held in Vanden's hand. "I'll get you back for that," the redhead murmured as he slowly lowered and released Cassian's hand. Slowly, cautiously, Vanden took a final step forward, putting them inches apart. Cassian held his breath, trying with all his concentration to keep his face calm. Vanden reached up with one hand and ran a feather-light fingertip through the chains at Cassian's front, the sound and the feeling sending a thrill down his spine to settle somewhere low in his belly.

"Such craftsmanship, Cassian. Really, you truly outdid yourself this time. A masterpiece to admire." His fingertip trailed to the catch at the front, following the edges down to where they connected at the edge of his shoulders. "But you don't need finery to outshine all the treasure in Caldera." His fingers slid to Cassian's wrists, slowly beginning to undo the buttons at the cuffs.

Cassian tried to reach with his free hand to undo the catch for the chains, but Vanden's free hand reached out and stopped him. "No. That's for me to do."

Cassian slowly lowered his hand as Vanden began undoing the complicated clasp of the chains, concentration furrowing his brow above the mask. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as his heart began working overtime. Cassian felt a slight tug and felt the slide of many chains lifting from his garments, his skin thrumming where every chain had touched. Vanden stood back, tilting his head as he placed one set of the chains over the arm of a nearby, footstool-less chair before turning his still-masked face to Cassian. Not seeing Vanden's eyes through the mask was unnerving, and as long moments ticked by Cassian began to chafe under the scrutiny.

"Are you just going to stare, or is it too complicated for you to undo?" The remark, meant to sound aloof and antagonistic, instead sounded needy and breathless as he spoke. "Because all you need to do is undo this closure at the-"

"Patience, Cassian," Vanden murmured, silencing the mage as he shifted slowly to stand behind him. "I want to take my time." Cassian felt gentle fingers at the top of the waist cinch, the decorative and complex knot slowly being unwound. He squirmed slightly, the pace agonizing, wanting to shove this insufferable, viciously tempting man onto the overstuffed feather bed at the far wall but forcing himself to resist. The temptation grew unbearably hard as he felt a warm breath whisper low in his ear, "You deserve to be savored."

"You could savor more if you'd let me help you get these robes off," Cassian muttered, unable to control himself. Vanden laughed – a rare, sparkling thing of joy – and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Cassian's torso, trapping his arms and starting to work on the tiny, tiny buttons at the throat of his outfit.

"Patience," he whispered again, the words tickling the shell of Cassian's ear as the hands continued undoing the minute buttons. "I want to see you, and it's taking everything I have to not rush this like some novice. If you never give me anything else that I ask for, give me this."

Cassian blinked, the hands having paused in their task as Vanden waited patiently behind him for an answer. Slowly, he turned to face the warrior prince at his back, meeting bright blue eyes surrounded by a sea of freckles and red hair held back by the now-upturned mask. Cassian felt that strange gnawing feeling again, only it felt lighter and higher in his body as a smile crept across his face. "Oh, I'll give you plenty, all right," he purred, watching the pupils dilate in Vanden's eyes. "I'll give after you beg me for it."

"You wish."

"…So do you."

Their eyes locked, Vanden's hands returned to the maddening buttons and continued undoing the closures as his gaze burned into Cassian, his frustration at the agonizingly slow pace fueling the burning want in his gut.

It was going to be a long night.


End file.
